Old Friends
by Sami S
Summary: Jesse gets a surprise visit from an old friend he hasn't seen in six years. What he doesn't know is that she has some secrets to reveal that will test their friendship.
1. Introductions

Disclaimer: All Mutant X character do not belong to me and no copyright infringement is intended.  
  
Old Friends  
  
The music of the club pulsed and sent vibrations to every corner of the room. Jesse sat at the bar staring glumly into his drink. Brennan had dragged him to the club to brighten his mood, and it wasn't working. He couldn't quite shake the melancholy that seemed to stick to him like glue. There were times when it seemed like it was gone, but then it would return with a vengance. They had only been at the club for fifteen minutes and Brennan had already danced with two girls. Jesse never understood how he did it. It wasn't that he had problems finding a date, but Jesse liked to take his time. A hand suddenly clamped down onto his shoulder.  
  
"Hey man, I don't think that you've moved from that spot since we got here. Come on, live a little. There's a couple of hotties over there that I know would love to spend some time with us."  
  
"No thanks, I think I might head back in a couple of minutes," Jesse turned back to his drink. Brennan grimaced and leaned against the bar next to Jesse.  
  
"Come on Jesse you got to get out of this slump. It's been almost a month, you got to move on."  
  
"Yeah well it's not that easy for some of us," Jesse's voice was angry, but the look on his face was one of hurt. Brennan sighed, marveling at how easily he tended to put his foot in his mouth.  
  
"Jesse I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm just trying to help, you know, keep you from lingering."  
  
"I'm sorry too, I know you're trying to help. I just can't seem to let go."  
  
"I understand its got to be tough, but you still got to move on sooner or later."  
  
"Yeah," Jesse replied glumly. He stared back into his drink again and sighed. Brennan shook his head gently and clapped Jesse on the shoulder again.  
  
"Tell you what, I'm going to have one more drink, you finish yours, and then we'll go back home."  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Jesse said and took a sip of his drink. Brennan ordered and they both sat at the bar for a few minutes in silence. Brennan couldn't help thinking that things might have gone along easier if the girls had been there. Shalimar always knew what to say whenever Jesse got like this. It had been a month since Toni decided to break it off with Jesse. She had stated plainly that long distance relationships didn't work, even in the Underground. Brennan wasn't surprised and he said so to Emma who gave him a stern look and told him not to repeat that to Jesse.  
  
They finished their drinks and got up from the bar. Brennan was shrugging on his coat when he noticed a person in the crowd. She was tall and had longish auburn hair that fell lightly onto her shoulders. She was wearing jeans and boots with a leather jacket zipped all the way up. In one hand she carried a full-face motorcycle helmet. She was staring at Brennan and Jesse with an intense look. When she saw Jesse her expression changed dramatically. A wide smile spread across her face and she practically ran towards him.  
  
"Jesse?!" She shouted above the music. A look of astonishment came upon Jesse's face.  
  
"Pheonix? Is it really you?" In response, the girl ran up to Jesse and he swept her up into his arms. They held that embrace for what seemed several minutes until Jesse broke the embrace to hold her at arms length looking at her intently.  
  
"I can't believe it's you. I haven't seen you for . . ."  
  
"Six years, yeah I know. I remember it was at your graduation party. We had to leave early."  
  
"You guys were moving. You never did tell me where you were going," Jesse's voice got softer with this comment. Pheonix looked down at her feet almost too ashamed or apologetic to look him in the eye. Brennan sensed tension and cleared his throat to get their attention. He looked pointedly at Jesse.  
  
"Introductions would be nice."  
  
Jesse blinked several times before he remembered where he was, "Oh, I'm sorry. Brennan this is a good friend of mine Pheonix Haley. Phee this is Brennan Mulwray, another good friend of mine."  
  
"Hi," Pheonix said with a smile as she shook Brennan's hand. She certainly had a beautiful smile and up close he saw that her eyes were a deep violet. It wasn't a color you saw very often and it caught his attention.  
  
"Any friend of Jesse's is a friend of mine," Brennan said with a wide smile. Jesse rolled his eyes at Brennan.  
  
"Pheonix and I have known each other since we were little kids. Hell, as far back as I remember practically."  
  
"Our parents were good friends before we were born, so that pretty much sums it up," Pheonix unzipped her jacket and sat down onto a stool. She looked at the guys noticing their jackets. "You guys coming or going?"  
  
"Actually we were on our way out," Brennan said before Jesse could get a word in. Disappointment flashed across her face.  
  
"You still have the weirdest timing in the world," Jesse said heavily. Pheonix gave him a penetrating look as if she were assessing his state. After a few minutes she seemed to have come to a conclusion.  
  
"What's wrong? Something's happened hasn't it? It has to involve a girl too, because the last time you had that look on your face it was senior year and you had just gotten dumped."  
  
Brennan snorted and Jesse hit him in the shoulder. Pheonix held a serene look on her face as if all was right with the world and she had total control. At the hurt that appeared briefly in his eyes, Pheonix held Jesse's hand in hers gently.  
  
"I'm sorry Jess."  
  
"No that's okay, I've just been down in the dumps lately. But that's not the point. What are you doing back in town?"  
  
"It's a long story that would take a couple of days to explain," she turned to Brennan. "So are you a member of Mutant X too?"  
  
Brennan's face reflected his shock, "Well, I . . . I, how do you know about Mutant X?"  
  
"I sort of told her," Jesse said sheepishly. Brennan raised his eyebrows at him and then turned his attention back at Pheonix.  
  
"Are you a New Mutant?"  
  
"No, but Jesse told me about his powers when he first started showing signs that he was, different," she gave Brennan a reassuring smile. "A few months after Adam found him, Jesse wrote me a letter telling me all about it. He was so happy, the happiest I had ever heard him."  
  
"After that the letters came back," Jesse said quietly. Pheonix went quiet and the tension was back. Brennan felt the awkwardness of the moment and couldn't help but try and break it.  
  
"I am a member of Mutant X. Speaking of which, we need to be heading back. Jesse?"  
  
"Yeah, listen, give me your number and I'll give you a call. We really need to spend time together and talk and catch up."  
  
Pheonix gave him her number and they made their way, albeit reluctantly on Jesse's part, out of the club. They spent the rest of the car ride in silence, and Brennan didn't push it even though he was dying to hear more about Jesse's old friend. 


	2. Pheonix Haley

Disclaimer: Same as before Please read and review, enjoy(  
  
Two  
  
  
  
The next morning Jesse was practically buzzing about Sanctuary. Neither he nor Jesse had told anyone else about what had happened the previous night, so Brennan wasn't surprised when Shalimar asked what was up with Jesse.  
  
"He saw an old friend the other night."  
  
"An old friend? Who?" Shalimar said with a slight smile at Jesse's direction. Jesse was fighting a series of GSA style holograms. He was fighting with more energy than Shalimar had seen in a while.  
  
"I'm not sure, some woman," Brennan said shrugging.  
  
"Woman?" Shalimar raised her eyebrows as she felt her big sister protectiveness kick in. Brennan nodded his head with a look on his face that she couldn't quite discern.  
  
"Oh yeah. Her name is Pheonix Haley, apparently."  
  
"Is she a New Mutant?"  
  
"No, and honestly that's all I really know about her, well other than that she and Jesse grew up together."  
  
Shalimar turned her attention back to Jesse and his energetic fighting. The last time she had seen him this way was when he had come in contact with his father. She only hoped that he wasn't going to get hurt this time like he did the last time. Shalimar hated to see him like that. She decided that this time it would be better to be cautious sooner rather than later. Shalimar went to find Adam.  
  
Brennan watched Shalimar walk away and then walked towards the steps of the dojo. He sat down at the top of the steps and watched Jesse for a few minutes. He recognized the look on Shalimar's face when she walked away. He knew that she wasn't going to let Jesse's past come slamming into him like the last time.  
  
"Hey, when are you going to tell me more about your friend from last night?" Brennan asked from his seat on the steps.  
  
"Not much to tell really, but at the same time," Jesse continued to fight talking in between punches. "It's a really long story."  
  
Jesse fell silent, and Brennan was about to press him when he remembered what happened the other night. He sighed and continued to watch Jesse fight.  
  
  
  
  
  
Inside the lab, Emma was helping Adam finish up his latest project. She still had yet to understand exactly what it was that they were working on, but as long as Adam knew what he was doing it didn't really matter. They were just about to finish when Shalimar barged in. She seemed occupied with something and began pacing around the room slowly.  
  
"Adam we need to talk."  
  
"If this is about Jesse . . ." Adam began, most of his attention on the computer screen in front of him.  
  
"It is, especially since it involves his past," Shalimar continued pacing. Adam's concentration stayed on the computer screen.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean that apparently he received a surprise visit from some girl he knew when they were kids," she stopped pacing and leaned against the wall. Adam turned from the computer screen and faced her. Light concern traced his face.  
  
"Is he okay?"  
  
"He seems okay, but he also acted the same way when he saw his dad."  
  
Adam frowned and looked through the windows to the dojo. Maybe this was a time to have a talk with Jesse. At the same time he realized that playing the father figure wasn't always best in these kinds of situations. He would have to remind himself to approach this as a friend. A few minutes later, he and the girls were walking towards the dojo. Jesse had just finished his workout and he and Jesse were sitting on the steps.  
  
"You guys have the best timing in the world. Jesse was just about to tell me about his friend."  
  
"You really know how to gang up on a guy," Jesse said sighing.  
  
"Sometimes it's best to know about things before the explosions start happening," Emma said taking a seat on one of the bottom steps.  
  
"You don't need to tell us anything you don't want to," Adam said reassuringly. Jesse paused a minute and leaned back onto his elbows.  
  
"Pheonix Haley and I have known each other since she was born and I was two. Her parents used to live down the street from us. Her mother was a reporter and her father was some sort of scientist. I never knew exactly what since we never really talked about him and he never talked about his work either. When Pheonix was six, her mother died in a car crash. Her dad was never the same after that, but he was still close to Pheonix."  
  
"Anyway, I started showing signs of my powers when I was about six or seven. It was a little after Phee's mother had died. She was the first person I told about my powers. She was always there when I was learning how to use my powers and even helped me. She was the only one who knew for the longest time. It wasn't until I was in high school that my parents even knew," Jesse took a breath and paused. All sorts of memories were running through his head.  
  
"Phee and I didn't go to the same schools. She was a lot like you actually Adam," Jesse looked Adam in the eye. "She was a child genius, she even plays the violin. But instead of sending her straight to college, he father decided to send her to a series of academies that would be at her level, but she would be with kids her own age. She never allowed herself to talk about school much, but she was always willing to help me with my homework," Jesse smiled.  
  
"The last time I saw her was on the day of my graduation party. She didn't even tell me she was moving until that night. I never really saw her until last night. We exchanged letters but after I joined Mutant X, the letters just stopped. I haven't heard from her since," Jesse stopped and silence hung in the air. Adam's brow was furrowed in thought.  
  
"Haley, that name sounds familiar to me," he mumbled. Jesse's head snapped up.  
  
"What do you mean familiar?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but I'll know in a minute," Adam moved to the computer port and began accessing his database records. Shalimar turned back to Jesse.  
  
"She never gave you a reason why she had to leave in such a hurry?"  
  
"No, and I never asked. I realize now I should have, but at the time I was more worried with the fact that she was leaving than the reason why," Jesse got a faraway look on his face.  
  
"I knew the name sounded familiar. Was Pheonix's father Peter Haley?"  
  
"Yeah," Jesse walked down the stairs and stood by Adam's side peering at the computer screen.  
  
"I knew her father. He used to work for Genomex," Adam's face turned into a neutral mask. Jesse's shock dawned on him slowly.  
  
"Genomex? That's probably why he never spoke about his work," Jesse's voice was soft.  
  
"Was he heavily involved with what you guys were doing?" Brennan asked.  
  
"He was on my research team. He was a friend of Breedlove's and mine. I never knew he had a daughter, let alone that he was married."  
  
"Wow, you mean we actually found someone who's more mysterious than you?" Emma smirked. Both Brennan and Shalimar surppressed laughs and Adam merely smiled.  
  
"I guess you could say that," Adam tapped a few keys and look of seriousness settled into his features. "According to my records, Peter Haley is dead."  
  
"Dead?" Jesse came to sudden life. Surprise and grief chased themselves across his face.  
  
"I'm sorry to have to tell you that Jess," Adam said with sincerity. Jesse walked away from the others.  
  
"I think that it's time to give Pheonix a call."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Waiting outside Eckhart's office Pheonix Haley couldn't help but twitch. She never really like Eckhart's office, let alone his waiting room. He always managed to give everything of his a cold sterile touch and it was unnerving. She wished for the thousandth time that she were back in her own office and lab. Pheonix had managed to repress the cold sterile hospital feel that many scientists preferred and was able to give her workspaces a more warm and comfortable feeling.  
  
Besides the fact that Eckhart just gave her the creeps. There was no other way to put it. Just the sight of the man gave her chills. She started to tap her foot impatiently against the hard tile floor. If he was going to make her wait here for another five minutes she was going to just leave. She certainly didn't owe Eckhart anything and she really didn't give a damn as to what he thought. Suddenly her cell phone rang and scared the living daylights out of her. She fumbled for her phone wondering who would be calling her at this time.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Pheonix?" Jesse's voice was tinny through the cell phone. Her heart leapt, this was certainly the worst time for Jesse to be calling. She glanced around her before answering him.  
  
"What's up? I hate to sound like a real bitch, but I'm kind of busy."  
  
"No problem, I hope I didn't interrupt anything," despite the casualness of his voice she could sense the edge to his voice. Something was wrong, had he found out?  
  
"You didn't, but I'm in the middle of work."  
  
"I was just calling to try and set up a meeting, how about it?"  
  
"Sounds great, how about lunch? We can meet in the park by the fountain where we used to meet after school."  
  
"Great, I'll see you at two okay?"  
  
"Great, I'll see you then," she hung up the phone just in time as the doors to Eckhart's office slid open. She walked in suppressing an urge to shiver.  
  
"Well Ms. Haley, I'm sorry to keep you waiting," Eckhart swiveled around in his chair. 'No you're not,' she thought coldly. Her father had never liked Eckhart, and true to form, she had never either.  
  
"I called you in here for an update on your project," Eckhart steepled his fingers and gave her a penetrating look. Pheonix took a deep breath. 'Here we go,' and she launched into her report quickly. The faster she got out of there, the better. 


	3. Lunch

Disclaimer: Same as before  
  
Three  
  
Pheonix liked it here. The fountain that she was sitting next to was placed in the center of the park. She and Jesse used to meet there after school. Jesse went to a public school, whereas she went to private academies. They would sit there, talking about their day, discussing homework, parents, the future, what their favorite flavor of ice cream was, the newest movies, anything that came to their minds. When Jesse first started dating, they met there to go over his first date dissecting it piece by piece finding out what he did right and wrong. This place held many memories, laughter, tears, sorrows, and joys. It was fitting that after six years they would be meeting here.  
  
Next to her on the bench, sat a paper bag. Inside there were two sandwiches. One was a roast beef on wheat bread with mustard and pickles, the other was a lemon pepper chicken sandwich with mayo, lettuce, and tomato. Despite the difference in their tastes, the sandwiches were arranged in a certain way. They were both cut in halves. One half of roast beef and a half of chicken were paired together into one sandwich. They had done for as long as she could remember. It got to the point where their parents just made their lunches this way to save time. Pheonix also had two iced teas, both with sugar and one with lemon and one without.  
  
She sipped on hers slowly and sighed. Things were going to awkward even with the best of cover stories. How was she going to tell him? He was a part of Mutant X there was no way he was going to understand. Besides, if she told him now she would have to explain a lot more than she was willing to. He couldn't find out, because if he did all hell would break loose and she would probably lose the only person she had left in the world.  
  
Scanning the park she saw a familiar head of light brown hair. She smiled as Jesse came closer. His smile was a ready one, but a little forced. Something was definitely wrong and she didn't know what it was, she wasn't sure she wanted to know. He sat down on the bench next to her and sighed heavily. She lifted up the brown bag and handed him an ice tea.  
  
"Brought you lunch, I hope you haven't eaten. It's your favorite, roast beef."  
  
"And I assume it's also your favorite, chicken?" He reached into the bag and pulled out one of the sandwiches.  
  
"Of course," Pheonix unwrapped her own sandwich. She took a bite of the roast beef side and chewed slowly. There was silence for a few minutes as they both ate.  
  
"I heard about your father," Jesse said slowly before he took another bite. Pheonix stopped mid-bite and put her sandwich down. She stared at her feet.  
  
"How did you find out?"  
  
"Adam has his sources. Did you know that he and your father used to work together?"  
  
"At Genomex, yeah I did," she took another slow sip of her tea.  
  
"When did you find out, and when were you going to tell me?" He sounded hurt.  
  
"Not that long ago," she couldn't believe that she was lying to him so easily. Some things never seemed to change.  
  
"Were you going to tell me?" Jesse repeated. She couldn't stand the hurt that was emanating from his voice.  
  
"I was waiting for the right time." Silence settled on them again and this time it was a painful one. Jesse almost couldn't bring himself to ask what he wanting to.  
  
"How did it happen and when?" He asked slowly. This time she didn't look down at her feet, but looked straight ahead.  
  
"Three years ago, he committed suicide. Slit his wrists. I found him at home, slumped over the kitchen sink, and there was blood everywhere," Pheonix's voice broke, and her lower lip began to quiver. Jesse put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. She put down her sandwich and wrapped her arms around him. He held her like that for a few minutes and her tears came silently. After a few minutes she pulled away from him.  
  
"I don't think he committed suicide Jesse, I think he was murdered."  
  
"Murdered, but you said it yourself, he cut his wrists," he rubbed her back gently.  
  
"It just doesn't seem like him. He had no reason to kill himself, he was happy and he was finally making some progress with his research. To top it all off the apartment was ransacked. You know dad, he was a neat freak, and he wouldn't have tossed everything everywhere if he were just going to kill himself. Someone was looking for something I just know it."  
  
"Is there anyway I can help?" Jesse asked still rubbing her back.  
  
"I think his death had something to do with Genomex. Maybe if you asked Adam, he might have something or be able to get a hold on some information."  
  
"I'll ask him, I'm sure that he'll try and help any way he can. Maybe . . ."  
  
"Can we talk about something else? I didn't want to get all depressed with you, especially here," she gave him a pleading smile and smiled back.  
  
"Okay, lets talk about old times," he picked up his sandwich and took another bite. They spent the next couple of hours talking; Jesse couldn't help but think she was holding out on something. He thought maybe it was just because he got onto a sore topic so he held his tongue. They parted with promises of calling each other. Jesse promised that he would ask Adam for some help with this and he headed back to Sanctuary. Pheonix made several mental notes before heading, not for home, but back to her lab. 


	4. Concerns

Disclaimer: Same as usual, oh well.  
  
Four  
  
That night at the dinner table, everyone noticed a listlessness in Jesse that he didn't acknowledge himself. He only picked at his food, his expression distant and his eyes unfocused. None of them wanted to say anything, but finally Emma got sick of it. She exchanged glances with Shalimar, who smiled at her knowingly. Emma put down her fork and waved her hand energetically in front of Jesse's face  
  
. "Earth to Jesse, are you there? Has your brained phased out without the rest of your body or what?" She said deadpan. Brennan smirked and Shalimar giggled. Adam only shook his head and continued to eat. Interference at this point would be useless at this point, what Jesse needed was a poke in the ribs by his friends. Jesse blinked slowly and it was few moments before he responded.  
  
"What?" He looked around and the rest of his teammates, all smiling except for Adam who was still concentrating on his food. "What did I miss?"  
  
"Oh nothing more than twenty minutes of consciousness at least," Brennan remarked.  
  
"Yeah, where have you been anyway," Shalimar said stifling a laugh. Jesse didn't say anything, but only look down at his food. It didn't look touched, just moved around the plate and arranged into strange shapes. He wondered when he had done that.  
  
"Come one Jess, tell us what's bothering you. Does it have to do with that friend of yours, Pheonix?" Emma asked frowning. She wasn't sensing the same elation and happiness she had sensed from him before. The worry that had been in the back of his mind was now evident in every gesture and a feeling of turmoil edged the worry. The elation and happiness was there, but it was clouded over by these other feelings. Something had happened, they just had to find a way to get it out of him. Jesse sighed, not able to keep it down any longer.  
  
"I'm not sure what it is. We had lunch earlier today and for some reason I can't help but feeling she's keeping something from me. Call me crazy, but I think that she's almost afraid to tell me. It has to do with her father, I know that much is certain. That reminds me," Jesse turned to Adam. "Pheonix wanted me to ask you if you could help with investigating her fathers death."  
  
"Investigating how?" Adam put down his own fork.  
  
"Well when I asked her she said the police report listed it as a suicide. She thinks otherwise. None of it fits with the type of person Peter was. He was detached and a little strange, but he never seemed to type to me to commit suicide. The more I think about it the more I feel that she's right."  
  
"I still don't see how I can help."  
  
"Well, Phee says that she thinks that it wasn't suicide, she thinks that he was murdered and it was made to look like a suicide. She also thinks that Genomex has something to do with it. All of his files and research notes had been gone through, but when she checked nothing seemed to have been missing."  
  
"Meaning they didn't find what they were looking for," Adam said nodding his head thoughtfully.  
  
"Any idea as to what he was working on?" Brennan turned to Adam, after glancing at Jesse. Adam thought for a few minutes before answering him.  
  
"Well, before the mutations of New Mutants were discovered he was working on projects that were typical for the everyday genetic researcher. After we started working more with New Mutant DNA, I'd say a few years after his daughter was born, he got into it more heavily. I can't remember anything specific, just that he was interested in the little details of the mutations that form the basis of all of your New Mutant abilities."  
  
"Would it be the kind of research that someone would kill him for?" Shalimar asked frowning.  
  
"Not unless he stumbled across something that someone wanted and he wouldn't give. The only person who would know that, however, is Pheonix."  
  
"It could be what she's keeping from me, but I can't help but think there's more to the story than she's telling me," Jesse poked at his food again.  
  
"I'll do some more research on her background and her fathers, maybe find out what they were doing these past eight years," Adam watched Jesse poke at his food some more. He couldn't help saying something before Jesse was lost in his melancholy. "By the way, didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food? You're supposed to eat it, not make art out of it." The tension broke out in laughter from the whole group, even Jesse couldn't even help but smile. 


	5. Reminiscing

Disclaimer: same as before, despite many wishes on several shooting stars.  
  
Many apologies for not writing for so long. Never underestimate the power of writers block, I know I never will again  
  
Five  
  
When everyone had dispersed after dinner, Shalimar thought it would be a good time to have a talk with Jesse. When she did find him, he was sitting by the reflecting pool. His feet dangling over the side and his concentration totally on the book in his lap, he looked younger than he was. She was happy for him and worried at the same time. It seemed that every time the past caught up with them it didn't always have a positive result. Maybe this time it was different, but you never knew.  
  
Shalimar walked up behind him and looked over his shoulder. He was looking at a photo album. It was filled with pictures of him and, presumably, Pheonix when they were kids. The two of them at a zoo, a martial arts tournament, at birthday parties, and other places. They had been that close, so close that the album was filled with pictures of nothing but those two and their families.  
  
"Happy times," Jesse murmured. Shalimar smiled and sat down next to him. "Those times were happy even after her mom died and when I started showing signs of my mutation."  
  
"They're always happy times when you have someone to share everything with. Someone you don't have to keep secrets from."  
  
"Tell me about it, if I hadn't had Phee to talk too I'd have gone nuts."  
  
"Now its your turn huh?"  
  
Jesse turned the page, "I guess so, the problem is I don't know what to do."  
  
"Well, maybe you shouldn't do anything, just be there for her."  
  
"Maybe," he frowned slightly, "but that's always the hardest thing to do. I just feel like I need to do something, and not being able to do anything just makes me feel even more helpless."  
  
"When in truth that's when you tend to be your strongest sometimes. Just the fact that she knows that you're there for her can help her more than you think, " Shalimar put a hand on Jesse's shoulder as she looked down at the pictures.  
  
"Yeah I guess," he paused gazing down at the pictures with Shalimar. He sighed, "I just don't like the idea that she's hiding something from me. We've always told each other everything."  
  
"We all have secrets, you told her everything?" She raised her eyebrows at him smiling. He smiled back.  
  
"Yes everything, even my most embarrassing secrets. I told her everything because I knew I could trust her not to tell anyone," his gaze wandered down to the photo album. Shalimar looked down then suddenly giggled pointing at one of the pictures.  
  
"God you guys are so cute," She smiled wide. Jesse looked at the picture she was pointing at and saw that it was a Halloween picture. They were six and four and that year Jesse had dressed as a clown whereas Pheonix had dressed as a tiger. They spent the next several moments in silence flipping through the pages of the album. Shalimar watched as the farther they got into the album, the older the two got. She suddenly found herself wishing she had had a friend like that growing up.  
  
"Do you really think her dad's death wasn't a suicide?"  
  
"I don't know," he frowned. "He never seemed the type, but that doesn't say much. I know one thing he wouldn't leave Pheonix on her own like that. No matter how old she was, her life was his and he always wanted to make sure she was taken care of."  
  
"Sometimes people get desperate," he had stopped flipping the pages and she reached down and turned the page for him. "They can do things that they never would normally."  
  
"True, but if there was ever a time that he would have committed suicide the death of his wife would have been it. My mom used to talk about how much he loved her and that the only thing that kept him from running away from the problem was Pheonix," Jesse's frown deepened and he let out another deep sigh.  
  
"Well if anyone can find out what happened its Adam. He'll get to the truth," Shalimar gave Jesse's a shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Jesse nodded slowly.  
  
"I know he will." 


	6. The Need To Run

Disclaimer same as before  
  
Its amazing what a little motivation will give you, I'm just glad I was able to write up another chapter so fast. I hope you guys enjoy.  
  
Six  
  
Pheonix sat in front of the high powered microscope and held her breath in concentration. She adjusted it into a higher focus and watched the cells she had placed in the viewer. At the same time she added the sample formula that she had developed. A few seconds later as the formula spread into the recesses of the nucleus the cell, instead of the division regressing, died. Pheonix let out a frustrated breath of air through her teeth then pulled away from the microscope. She nearly jumped out of her skin.  
  
Mason Eckhart was standing only a few feet away from her. As soon as she recovered her senses her mind immediately raced. What was he doing here? Never before had Eckhart ever had cause to visit her in her own lab it was always the other way around. She was always called into his office for it seemed that he never ventured beyond the confines of his office unless he could help it. Just behind Eckhart and to his right, stood Dr. Harrison. It took a lot of will power not to pounce on the odious little man.  
  
When Breedlove had been alive, Pheonix had been made the lead researcher at Genomex. After Breedlove's death, Eckhart had decided to knock her down a few pegs and brought her down to a general researcher. A few months later Dr. Harrison had been made the lead researcher and he was nothing more than a sniveling, sycophantic waste of space who barely knew what he was doing. Pheonix calmed her fast beating heart and gave Eckhart a cold gaze.  
  
"I wish I could say I was pleased that you paid me a visit but then I'd be lying," Pheonix gave Dr. Harrison a glare. Eckhart only gave her a bemused smile.  
  
"Well we wouldn't want you to lie Dr. Haley."  
  
"What, may I ask, is the reason for your visit to my lab?" She narrowed her eyes as Eckhart's bemused look changed into a cold smile.  
  
"Despite your undisguised displeasure at my unexpected visit, I have found it necessary to keep a closer eye on you. Your family history is enough to alert anyone. Your father was the type to run whenever he felt it was necessary to his best interest and not the big picture."  
  
"Well believe me when I say that I am nothing like my father."  
  
"That is yet to be seen. How is the research going? Has the latest version of the formula done its work?"  
  
Pheonix turned back to the microscope and pulled out the slide and holding it up for Eckhart to see. The slide had once held a spot of blood that had been red with life. Now that same spot of blood was starting to turn a deep ugly brown.  
  
"Its not accomplishing its objective, if that's what you mean. It causes an instantaneous destabilization of the new mutant cells."  
  
"You sound disappointed, isn't that the effect that you were going for?" Dr. Harrison piped up. Pheonix glared at him again.  
  
"No it's not. The destabilization of the cells just shows how unstable the formula is. The purpose isn't to cause cell damage at that degree. If all you wanted was for me to develop an instant killer than that's what I would have aimed for."  
  
"How long do you estimate you'll have the formula ready?" Eckhart said calmly putting up a restraining hand in front of Harrison who had been about to pipe up with a retort.  
  
"This isn't a cake you can pop into an oven and measure the time till it cooks. This is tricky work and I'll need more of a variety of new mutant DNA in order to get to where I'm sure that I'm close."  
  
"You've been working on this project since you began work here at Genomex," Eckhart stated with and edge of impatience in his voice.  
  
"And my father had been working on it for years before that. All of his research on this project was lost because of his untimely death. I was never told where that research was being kept and so now no one will ever know."  
  
"I would think that has his daughter you would be privy to that kind of information," Harrison commented again. Pheonix turned the full force of her annoyance on him.  
  
"This isn't some simple human genetic code we're trying to break into. The new mutant genome is much more highly complex since it's been altered in ways that aren't natural to the basic code. If you're getting so impatient why don't you do it yourself. As for my knowledge of my father's work he had always considered it best to separate his work from his home life. I never realized the full scale of what he was doing until I was hired here."  
  
"All the same I was told that you would have at least come farther than this when I initially approved this project. You haven't been able to come up with your time goals that you set," Eckhart's icy cool voice broke through the argument. Pheonix looked up at him.  
  
"Well you should know, of all people, that these things don't usually hold a schedule," a suspicious tone creeping into her voice.  
  
"True, but even a gifted scientist like yourself would have been able to come up with better results than this in the space of nine months. I expected more from you and this is what I've got to show for it," Eckhart walked to the doorway and turned around before leaving. "I'm assigning Dr. Harrison here to your project. He will report to me every step of your research so that I know that you are doing your job to its fullest potential. I expect results soon Dr. Haley and I'm not a very patient man."  
  
Eckhart turned to leave, Pheonix giving him an incredulous look as his did. Harrison stood there looking please with himself and Pheonix treated him with another smoldering glare. She turned back to the microscope her mind racing trying to weigh her options and at the same time creating new ones. It took her a minute to realize that Harrison was standing closer to her so that he could look over her shoulder.  
  
"Leave my lab, right now," she growled.  
  
"You heard Mr. Eckhart, I am to oversee . . ." Harrison began. He didn't get a chance to finish. A moment later Pheonix was on her feet, gripping Harrison's collar and trying real hard to fight the impulse of throwing him across the room.  
  
"I don't give a damn all right? At this very moment I want you out of my lab before I toss you out. Come tomorrow morning you can oversee all you want but right now you either get out or I swear I'll kill you myself. I need someone to test the formula on anyway."  
  
Harrison sputtered as Pheonix let go of him forcefully and he stumbled a few steps. A second later he scampered out of the lab. Pheonix sat at her chair not moving. If Eckhart were watching her every move than it wouldn't be long before he got his hands on what he really wanted. She cursed herself for playing things too elusive. If she had fed him a semi steady source of information she'd have more time but now it was too late.  
  
It wouldn't take even a little slime like Harrison to realize what was going on after a while if he was breathing down her neck. Pheonix didn't have a choice she had to run. Eventually Eckhart would realize and she'd end up in a pod or worse. In the next half an hour Pheonix cleaned out her computer files being careful not to take out too much so that it didn't alert anyone till the last minute. She contaminated the whole of all the test formulas she had been working on except the last one, the one that showed more promise that the others.  
  
She slipped the computer disks and the formula bottle into her bag then shut down the lab for the night. Hopefully by morning she would be gone, taking all of her research with her. Eckhart would be searching for her but she was used to a life on the run, that much her father had taught her. Pheonix made her way out of the main Genomex building and into the underground garage careful not to look like she was in a hurry. She found her car and unlocked it, and just as she got in she nearly kicked herself.  
  
Jesse. She couldn't just leave without letting him know. But then if she did he'd want to know why and she couldn't lie to him at this point, it was too dangerous either way. She sighed knowing that he deserved to know that she was leaving rather than her disappearing again. Pheonix had another option that she hadn't considered before and she wondered why it didn't dawn on her earlier. It would be a risk, but it was one that she was willing to take. She calmed her nerves then drove out of the garage heading towards her apartment. 


	7. Call For Help

Disclaimer: Unfortunately still not mine to command, oh well a girl can dream lol  
  
Seven  
  
Adam sat at his computer in his room going over several databases and contacts to try and find something about Pheonix Haley and her father. So far his searches had turned up nothing but he'd find something eventually. He began to remember Peter Haley more now the longer he had time to absorb the situation. Adam remembered that Peter had been a dark, quietly intense man who was polite to his fellow coworkers, but he never got close to anyone. What was most amazing about him was his brilliant mind.  
  
Peter Haley matched Adam in intelligence but where he really shined was in talent. When reading his lab reports and briefs it seemed to Adam as if Peter lived amongst the genes and strands of DNA that he was analyzing and manipulating. It also seemed as if he had passed these talents along to his daughter. What little information he was turning up on Pheonix amounted to her school records including several papers she had published.  
  
Pheonix's knowledge of science and genetics far exceeded what was expected of her. All of Peter's talent and intelligence had indeed passed directly to his daughter. Despite the fact that Adam had uncovered the same information that she had eventually concluded years ago, he was impressed with her findings. The police report on Peter's death were as vague as the rest of the information he had found on the pair.  
  
Peter and Pheonix had been residing in England at the time holed away in a small apartment in London. The ultimate findings of the police had been that Peter had committed suicide. All signs pointed to that conclusion but Jesse had been adamant that Pheonix was right in the fact that it wasn't possibly suicide.  
  
Adam sighed and leaned back in his chair. The one thing that Adam found puzzling was that Peter never mentioned anything about his family. There weren't any pictures on his desk and Adam hadn't noticed a wedding ring. It was a detail that Adam would normally notice but failed to in this instance. Adam decided to do some more digging into the Genomex files on Peter.  
  
* * *  
  
Jesse was pacing around the upper level of Sanctuary. He had been trying to calm his nerves at the computer but he couldn't sit still. He had finished everything Adam had asked him to do, knowing Adam he had given him the assignments to keep him busy, and he was thinking about making a couple of sweeps on the net but he couldn't do it. There were moments when he was tempted to call Pheonix on her cell but that wouldn't accomplish anything but the jangling of both their nerves.  
  
He sighed and headed down the stairs to the lower level and was about to make his way to his room when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned and found Adam walking towards him a serious look on his face. Jesse stopped in his tracks and a feeling of dread pouring down his spine like a bucket of ice water.  
  
"Something's come up hasn't it Adam," he asked his voice soft. Adam walked up to him and sighed, his voice sounded strained and he seemed reluctant to tell him what he had just found out.  
  
"I did a little bit more digging into Peter Haley's background involving Genomex, and instead of finding out more about Peter, I found out more about Pheonix's involvement with Genomex."  
  
Jesse frowned, "What? That's impossible, Pheonix doesn't have any involvement with Genomex, she never has."  
  
"I'm sorry Jess but that isn't true. Breedlove hired her about four months before his death. She was hired as Genomex's new chief biogeneticist when the man who was my predecessor stepped down. Pheonix was the youngest person to ever be hired into the position, breaking my record. It wasn't until about six months after Eckhart came into power that she was forced to step down from that position."  
  
"But that would mean she's been in the city for almost a year. She just contacted me recently it makes no sense."  
  
"I'm sorry Jesse. I was a little surprised myself. She hasn't come up in any of the scans we've run on Genomex and being in such a high position in the scheme of things you'd think she would have come to our attention. It makes no sense to me either, but I think we need to have a talk with her right away."  
  
Jesse hesitated then spoke again, "Do you think she can be trusted? Because honestly Adam I'd trust her with my life."  
  
"Which is why we need to get a hold of her and find out the truth once and for all. But Jess you have to keep your mind open to the fact that she might be a traitor rather than a friend."  
  
Jesse threw up his hands in a frustrated gesture a look of disgust on his face. He started to walk away from Adam.  
  
"Just typical isn't Adam, why is it that every person who comes back into my life is here to stab me in the back?"  
  
"Jess, we don't know what her agenda is, that's why we have to find her and question her."  
  
"I knew she was hiding something from me Adam. Why would she hide it from me unless she was working against me? Against Mutant X?"  
  
Adam sighed and took a step towards Jesse, "We should keep that in mind yes, but there's also a possibility that she did it because she was scared. I'm guessing that her father's death wasn't a suicide and that Eckhart had something to do with it. But we can't be sure of anything until we get a hold of her, okay? I need you calm and focused otherwise things are going to get messy."  
  
Jesse stood there for a moment then took in a deep breath. He knew what Adam was saying was right but at the same time he couldn't help but feel betrayed. Even if she was protecting herself and maybe even him, she still held out from him and it hurt almost as bad as the thought of her working against him.  
  
Jesse turned around and went to call Pheonix on her cell when a soft beeping came in through Sanctuary's com network. Jesse and Adam exchanged looks then Jesse headed over to the computer console. After tapping in a few commands Jesse looked up, a slightly surprised expression on his face.  
  
"It's Pheonix, she's calling from her cell phone," he typed in a few more commands, picking up the outside line. "Phee?"  
  
"Thank God it's you Jess," her tone was calm but it was edged slightly with panic.  
  
"Phee what's happened, what's wrong?" Jesse frowned, concern in his voice.  
  
"I really need to see you Jesse, it's important and it has to be soon. I can't really talk about it over the phone," background noise was coming in through their connection that sounded like she was in her car.  
  
"Where are you Phee?"  
  
"I'm heading towards my apartment, but is there somewhere we can meet that would be safe?"  
  
"Yeah, head over to the corner of Lake and Main. Park nearby and wait for me there I should be there in about fifteen minutes okay?"  
  
"I'll be there, and Jesse please hurry."  
  
"I will," he said before he broke the connection and immediately headed towards the garage.  
  
"Jesse you should take some backup with you," Adam said following him.  
  
"There's no time. I'm going to meet up with her then take her to one of the safehouses nearby. If I need backup I'll contact you but it's probably better if I go see her myself." Before Adam could say another word Jesse had grabbed his jacket and had headed into the garage. A few minutes later Jesse pulled out of Sanctuary heading towards Pheonix's location. 


End file.
